The objective of the present study was to evaluate the tactical and physical performance during official matches of a women’s soccer league and to correlate both dimensions in periods of 15 min. To do this, eight official matches of a semi-professional soccer team belonging to the Women’s Second Division of Spain (Reto Iberdrola) were analysed during the 2020–2021 season. The variables recorded were classified into two dimensions: tactical variables (i.e., Width, Length, Height and Surface Area) and physical variables (i.e., Total Distance Covered (TD), Total Distance Covered in High-Speed Running (HSR) and Total Distance Covered in Sprint). The main results were: (1) there were no differences between the periods in any of the tactical dimension variables; (2) in the physical dimension, a significant decrease in TD and HSR was described at the end of the match (period 60–75); and (3) some positive correlations were found among some variables of the tactical and physical dimension at the beginning and at the end of the match (periods 0–15, 60–75 and 75–90). The findings of the study suggest that connecting the tactical and physical dimension in the interpretation of team performance would allow for a better understanding of player and team performance and during competition.

The objective of this study was to compare the external load of training sessions using as a reference an official competition match in women’s football in order to find if the training sessions replicate the competition demands. Twenty-two semi-professional football players were analyzed during 17 weeks in the first phase of the competitive period of the 2020–2021 season of Spanish women’s football. In addition to the competition (Official Matches, OM), four types of sessions were distinguished: strength or intensity (INT), endurance or extensity (EXT), velocity (VEL), and activation or pre-competitive (PREOM). The external load variables recorded were total distance (TD), high-speed running (HSR), sprint (Sprint), accelerations (ACC2), decelerations (DEC2), player load (PL), distance covered per minute (TDmin), high metabolic load distance (HMLD), and total impacts. The main results were that the external load demanded was different according to the type of session, being, in all cases, much lower than OM. The variables referring to the neuromuscular demands (ACC2 and DEC2) were higher in the INT sessions, the TD variable in the EXT sessions and the velocity variables (HSR and Sprint) in the VEL sessions. We can conclude that there was an alternating horizontal distribution of training loads within the competitive micro-cycle in women’s football, although the order was not the usual one for tactical periodization.

The significant emergence of women’s football has stimulated considerable scientific interest, particularly in enhancing performance and achieving success. Football’s dynamic nature with its complex interactions and contextual variables, significantly influences player performance that can affect match outcomes. While goals are vital for securing a win, they can also trigger unexpected psychological responses such as stress and pressure potentially altering player behaviour and impacting the match’s trajectory. Effectively predicting and managing these behavioural shifts is important to in-game regulation. This study aims to enhance the performance and in-game success in women’s football by developing machine learning (ML) models that predict match outcomes based on player and team behaviour following goals. We applied a comprehensive approach that integrates spatiotemporal and behavioural data during the transitional period following goals focusing on team dynamics, including chaotic and collective behavioural analysis with entropy and fractality, spatial area, movement trajectories, and locomotor patterns. Several well-established ML models and feature extraction techniques were deployed with overall good performance of greater than 70% accuracy, with some specific methodology combinations have superior performance. Self-reported player wellness did not contribute to the predictions. In conclusion, game outcomes can be predicted with reasonable accuracy based on player behaviour during a relatively small proportion of game time, although this time represents events of high stress and pressure.

The aim of the present study it’s a providing an update of the profile of very high-speed running (VHSR) of professional female football players. In this study 23 official matches of the Spanish First Division of Women´s Football were analysed. A total of 15 players participated, who were classified according to their location on the matches played: central-corridor (CCP, n = 7), and lateral-corridor (LCP, n = 8). The variables recorded were: 1) Very High-Speed Running (VHSR), considering the accumulated distance, duration, and frequency, and the individual characteristics of the efforts (distance and duration); 2) Recovery between efforts (VHSRe) and; 3) VMAX. The results show that LCP described higher values in accumulative VHSR and VHSR by distance bands, with greater distances, durations and VMAX of VHSRe, with less recovery between efforts. There seems to be an evolutionary trend in the distribution of the efforts, with a higher % of efforts in the 10–20 m band. The results provide useful information that coaching staff of professional women’s football teams could use to design specific very high-speed running training to optimize performance in competition.

The objective of this study was to describe and compare the running demands and performances in women's elite football in different types of training sessions and matches, considering two professional categories (First Division and Second Division) during two consecutive seasons. A total of 32 players were analyzed in the Spanish Women's First Division (C1) and Second Division (C2). In addition to the match-day (MD), four types of training sessions were analyzed: four, three and one days before the MD, MD-4, MD-3 and MD-1 respectively, and one day after, MD + 1. The recorded variables, were: effective minutes (EM), total distance (TD), high-speed running (HSR), sprint (SPR) and distance covered per minute (TDmin). The results were: 1) for both categories: no training session replicated the demands of competition, except for MD + 1 in C2 which accumulated higher values in two variables (HSR and SPR). MD-1 was the session with the lowest load and intensity; 2) C1 only presented higher demands than C2 in two (TD, 9533 m vs 9255 m and TDmin, 98,8 m/min vs 96 m/min) of the four variables in the MD. We can conclude that there was an inverted U-shaped distribution in running performance within the competition microcycle in both categories, despite that most of the training sessions were not more demanding than the competition, and that there were only differences between categories in competition running performance. The practical applications of this study could improve intervention strategies in both the training process and competition.

El objetivo del presente estudio observacional fue describir el tiempo efectivo de juego en el fútbol femenino profesional a partir de cómo se distribuyó la frecuencia y duración de la posesión de balón. Se analizaron ocho partidos de la Champions League femenina de la temporada 2021-22. El sistema de codificación estuvo compuesto por cuatro categorías: posesión de balón (dentro del balón en juego, BJ) y balón parado (BP), tanto del equipo de referencia como del oponente. Se implementaron un análisis descriptivo, una comparación de medias para las variables independientes (parte (primera y segunda) y lugar (casa y fuera) del partido) y un análisis de secuencialidad. Los resultados fueron que: 1) el BJ tuvo una mayor duración que el BP, en ambas partes y lugares; 2) el número de posesiones por cada BJ decreció a medida que aumentó el número de posesiones consecutivas (desde 1 a 5 o más); 3) no existieron diferencias en la duración promedio de las posesiones, indistintamente a las partes y el lugar; y, 4) existió variabilidad en las transiciones entre los BJ y BP con diferente duración. Estos hallazgos podrían ayudar a los cuerpos técnicos y, especialmente, a las/os preparadoras/es en el diseño de tareas que repliquen las dinámicas de juego en el fútbol femenino de élite.